In the case of conventional surface-mountable optoelectronic devices, a prepackaged device is often initially produced by a prefabricated semiconductor frame (leadframe) being encapsulated at least partly by injection-moulding with a suitable plastic material, which plastic material forms at least part of the package of the device. This device has, for example, on the upper side a depression or recess into which leadframe terminals are inserted from two opposite sides, with a semiconductor chip, such as for example an LED chip, being adhesively attached and electrically contacted on one of said terminals. This recess is then generally filled with transparent casting compound. This basic form of surface-mountable optoelectronic devices is known for example from the article “Siemens SMT-TOPLED für die Oberflächenmontage” [Siemens SMT-TOPLED for surface mounting] by “F. Möllmer and G. Waitl, Siemens Components 29 (1991), issue 4, pages 147-149”.
Such devices are used as transmitters and receivers, for example in remote controls, light barriers or for data transmission between a cell phone and a computer. If the optoelectronic component is formed as a transmitter, often a narrow-angled radiation characteristic that is as homogeneous as possible is desired. This may also be the case with a component formed as a receiver. In the case of conventional SMT types of construction, this radiation characteristic is frequently achieved by means of a lens mounted for example on the device. Such lens is a premolded plastic which is subject to degradation due to incoming ultraviolet radiation, for example. The resulting diffuse plastic reflector is disadvantageous for projecting the image of the light source via the lens. In addition, the overall height of the optoelectronic device is increased by the lens. Apart from an increased space requirement, there is the disadvantage that the surface of the device is not planar, with the result that it is only with greater difficulty that the process of the “pick and place” method can be used for printed circuit board assembly.
Also known are so-called MIDs (Molded Interconnect Devices), which, by contrast with the devices described above, dispense with a leadframe. In the case of these devices, after the production of a body of plastic of any desired form by means of injection molding, a metallization is applied to the surface of the same.
An optoelectronic device produced by this method and a method for producing the metallization by means of laser patterning of a metallization is known from the article “MID Technology to miniaturize electro-optical devices” by H. Yamanaka, T. Suzuki, S. Matsushima, 4th Intern. Congress on Molded Interconnect Devices MID 2000, Sep. 27 to 28, 2000, pages 129-138. Although the optoelectronic device described in this article can be produced in a simple way, it relies on a lens, as revealed by FIGS. 4 to 6 of this article. The device consequently likewise has the problems described above.